Fishing reel



J. K. TANK FISHING REEL Jan. 2, 1951 2 Shegts-Sheet l Filed Jan. 26,1948 Jan. 2, 1951 J, K, TANK 2,536,583

' FISHING REEL Filed Jan. 26, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISHING REEL J an. 'Een ure a iApplication January 26, 1948;, Serial No. 4,329

2 Claims 1 My invention relates to' fishing reels, andmore particularlyto means for preventing undesired free spinning of the spool andunwinding of the fishing line, or to permit free spinning of 'the spooland unwinding or paying out of the fish- I ingline as in casting, orwhen a catch is made and the fish makes a run.

In fishing, when a fish takes the bait and makes a run in an attempt toget away, it is desirable to provide brake means to friction the freespinning of the reel or spool and unwindin of the line therefrom tocontrol the catch and takeup the slack when the fish changes itsdirection or course of run, to avoid fouling or entangling oi the lineand to maintain the line substantially taut at all times'until the catchis made and the fish landed. Reels have been provided withbrake meansnormally engaged and released by the fish? erman, applied by the tensionon the line to preventundesired free spinningof the spool and unwindingof the line, but the operation of a brake means by tension of the lineengaging a pressure bar at the upper side of the reel housing or frameto apply the brake when the line is taut, or :by means of spring-pressedfriction discs or the like, has been found inemcient andsuch devices arenot capable of proper control by the fisherman to best facilitate makinga catch when a game fish takes the bait and makes a run or reverses therun, thereby tending to foul or entanglethe line so as to make itdifficult to land the fish.

In most instances the brakemeans is normally applied by spring pressureand releasedby the fisherman, butan object of my invention is to providea brake means for checking or friction-.- 4m

ing the free turning or spinningof the spooland unwinding of the linetherefrom with the desired friction which may be easily and accuratelycon-, trolled by the pressure of a thumb or finger of the fisherman onthe pressure bar of a-brake lever at s the lower side of the reelhousing or frame,adjacent the point where the reel is mounted on thefishing rod, and to provide finger-touch control whereby the desiredbraking friction may heap.-

plied and the spinning of the spool and unwinding 45 of the line may bestopped at any particular point.

Another object is to provide a reel whichhasa spool turned by a crankgeared to the shaft-fixed to the hub of the spool and which includesinthe so geared drive, a releasable connecting means or clutch betweenthe shaft and pinion thereon to disconnect the crank from the spool-atthe shaft sothat the spool and shaft may run free-as when castin to p mt .f spinnins o t e reel-and unwinding of the line at such time and.incer: tain types of fishing, especially for game fish when the fishtakes the bait and makes a run therewith, so that the gears and crankwill not turn at such times, or to permit use and applica' tion of thebrake with the necessary friction on a reel equipped with a star dragand a free spool or otherwise.

Another object is to provide a friction brake means applied by means ofa single lever in convenient position on the outside of the reel toapply the desired braking friction to retard the unreeling ofrthe linewhile obviating the necessity of using a spring, discs or othercomplicated brake structure to regulate the brake friction or pressure.

A further object is to provide a novel and simple drive means in which abrake means is correlated to a clutch interposed between the gears ofthe operating connection between the crank and-the shaft of the spoolrigidly or permanently fixed thereto, so that by slight pressure on apressure bar of a control lever, the spool may run free as in casting orwhenever free spinning is desired, to pay out the line when the fishtakes the bait to insure that a fish is caught on a hook before applyinga drag on the line, or by apply.- ing greater pressure on the pressurebar and lever the brake may be applied simultaneously with the clutchdisengaged to put the desired friction or drag on the spool and line inunwinding, and means to check reverse turning of the spool to preventbacklash.

With'the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in thedrawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fishing reel constructed in accordancewith my invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken onthe'line 2-2 ofFigure 1,

Figure 3 is a diametrical sectional view taken onthe line 3+3 of Figure2,

Figure 4 is an elevation of the spool, partly broken away and insection, to show the means for connecting the spool shaft and hub to thedriving gear,

Figure 5 is a detail elevation of the driving gear or pinion whichassociates with the structure shown in'Figure 4 to form a releasableclutch,

Figure dis a detail elevation of a gear shifting plate or detentemployed in the structure,

7 i a as en a e iona View h ing the cooperative relation between thebrake lever shoe and the friction wheel with which it cooperates,

Figure 8 is an elevation of the gear shown in Figure and Figure 9 is afragmentary detail sectional View showing the mounting for the brakelever.

Referring to the drawings, the fishing reel is shown as comprising aframe Ii), including end housings or plates II and I2 placed in spacedparallel relation and connected at spaced intervals in a circular seriesby cross bars I3 engaged by fastenin screws I4 passed throughcorresponding holes in the end housings or plates II and I2 andretaining the latter in fixed relation. At the bottom, the frame of thereel is provided with the usual attaching plate or stirrup I5 secured byfastening means or screws I6 against the inner faces of the end housingsor plates II and I2 and designed to engag the usual mounting means onthe handle end of the fishing rod in the usual or any preferred way.

The end housngs or plates H and I2 are provided with central openings toreceive the ends of a shaft If on which the tubular hub I8 of the spoolis rigidly attached or fixed as by means of a pin I9. The ends of thehub are flanged, as indicated at 253, to receive the end plates orflanges 2| constituting the heads of the spool and cupped, as moreparticularly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. outwardly of the annularflanges 29, the hub is grooved at 22 to take the heads 2| which areretained in position by the riveted or upset ends 23 of the hub, whilethe peripheries of the plates or heads 2| extend into circular recesses2% provided on the inner faces of the end housings Or plates H and i2.It will be noted that the end housing or plate I I is somewhat thickerthan the end housing or plate I2 and one end of the shaft i'l extendsthrough the central opening in the plate 52, which openin is interiorlythreaded to take a cap screw 25 which has a central bore at its innerend, receiving the tapered spindle end of the shaft and the flanged headof which accommodates a coiled spring 26 seating between the end wall ofthe head and the outer surface of the plate I2, to friction against thetapered end of the shaft or spindle I? to check the free turning orspinning of the spool.

The purpose of making the plate |I thicker than the plate i2 is toaccommodate the drive connection for operating the spool and forcontrolling the spinning thereof. This structure is more particularlyshown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, from which it will be observedthat the outer face of the plate Ii is provided with an eccentricallypositioned offset 2?, and the hole which receives the adjacent end ofthe shaft I1 is eccentrically positioned relative to this offset butaxially located with respect to the plate 8 I. The central hole or boreis interiorly threaded as at 28, to take a headed screw 29, the shank ofwhich has a central smooth bore the same as the cap screw 25 to receivethe tapered spindle end of the shaft I'i so that a friction drag may beapplied to the shaft as previously explained. The inner end of the shankof the screw 29 has a reduced portion 38 over which the counterboredouter end 30 of an elongated tubular gear or pinion 3| fits. This pinion3| is provided at its inner end with a diametrical groove 32 designed toengage an oppositely flattened key 33 fixed to or formed on the shaftI7, and forming a clutch adapted to be disengaged by sliding the pinion3i axially on the shaft. The pinion 3| is also provided with an positionfor use on the fishing pole.

annular groove 34 to take the forked end 35 of a plate 35, having abifurcated opposite end 31 pivoted by a pin 38 to a mounting block 39secured by a screw 40 in the recess 4I formed at the inner side of theplate II adjacent the circular recess 24. The plate 36 is adapted toswing outwardly on its pivot but is limited in its inward swing by thebight portion 42 between the furcations of the bifurcated end thereofagainst the adjacent inner side of the block 39. The plate or detent 36is further provided with a tapered projection 43 pressed in or otherwiseformed on the plate 36 near its pivoted end and extending radially ofthe plate II and tapering toward the gear 3| or the axis thereof. Aspring 44 is mounted in the counterbored seat 45 at the inner face ofthe recess 4| to press inwardly on the forked plate or detent 36 andnormally hold the pinion 3| in operative connection with the key 33 onthe shaft IT.

A lever 43 is pivoted on a sleeve nut 41, the sleeve extension 48 ofwhich is mounted in a counterbore 49 of the plate I I adjacent theperiphery of the recess 24 as by means of a screw 59, and the outer longarm of the lever extends through an elongated radial slot 5| in theperipheral portion of the plate II outwardly of the recess 24. The freeend of the lever is connected by a pressure bar 52 to the free end of anarm 53 pivoted at 54 on the plate I2, preferably at the outside in axialalignment with the pivot sleeve 48 of the lever 46 so that the pressurebar is at the lower portion and back of the reel when in The lever 45has a forked inner end, including an inwardly offset finger 55 and aninwardly offset arm 56 forming a friction brake shoe or blade,preferably of arcuate form as shown, having an oppositely beveled inneredge 51 and offset inwardly in a radial plane greater than and parallelto the finger 55. The shoe or blade at the beveled edge 51 is adapted toengage in a grooved periphery 5B of a disc 59 fixed to the hub I8 andshaft I! in the hollowed-out portion of the adjacent end plate or flange2| adjacent the key 33, so as to permit the application of the necessaryfriction to retard the turning of the spool or to permit free spinninthereof.

A semi-circular plate 60 is secured against the inner face of the plateII at the recess 24 to re-- ceive the pinion 3| for axial shiftingmovement therein at the central opening 6| in the plate. The plate issecured in position as by fastening means or screws 62 and receives oneend 63 of a shaft 84 on which a larger spiral gear or pinion 65 is fixedto engage the pinion 3| at its portion outwardly of the annular groove34. The shaft or hub 54 is also formed with a ratchet wheel 63 engagedby a pawl 6'! pivoted adjacent thereto on the inner face of the plate IIin the recess 24, to prevent reverse turning of the pinion and backlashon the spool and line adapted to be Wound on the spool in the usual way.The outer end of the shaft or hub 64 has a reduced portion disposedthrough an opening 68 in the plate I I, and a further reduced externallythreaded portion 69 on which a star wheel 10 of a star drag is threaded.A crank II is mounted on a flattened portion 12 of the shaft 64outwardly of the portion 59, and the end of the shaft is provided with athreaded counterbore in which a headed screw I3 is threaded to hold thecrank and star wheel in assembled position. The star wheel may operateas a drag in the customary way. The bearing screws or nuts 25 and 29 forshaft I! may be ad justed to permit free spinning of the shaft l1 andspool fixed thereto. It may also be mentioned that a V-spring 14 ismounted at one end in a lug 75 on the plate ll adjacent the lever 45 andis bent around the flange of the screw 41, and the other end of thespring bears against the inner edge of the arm 56 to normally hold thelever 46 in raised position, the finger 55 beyond the tapered inner endof the detent or cam 43 and the arm 56 disengaged from the friction disc59.

Thus, in the operation and use of the reelfthe necessary drag may beapplied to the spool by the bearing screws 25 and 20 should this bedesired, or said screws may be set at the spindle ends of the shaft ITto permit free turning or spinning of the shaft and thus the spool. Incasting with the spool in free spinning relation, the pressure bar 52may be left free or held by a finger or thumb of the fisherman whilegripping the handle of the fishing pole or rod adjacent the reel so thatthe spool will spin freely to permit unwinding of the line. When afish-takes the bait and attempts to make a run, the fisherman mayfriction the unwinding of the line by applying pressure to the bar 52 asexplained. Rocking of the lever 46 on its pivot will cause the finger 55to engage the beveled cam or detent 43 and through the connection of theforked plate 36 with the pinion3| to shift the latter axially outwardlyand disengage it from the key 33 to disconnect the crank from the spoolat the shaft i1 and permit turning of the spool free of the driveconnection between it and the crank. Depending upon the degree ofpressure on the bar 52, the arm 56 will be caused to engage the frictiondisc 59 and apply the desired braking friction to the spool to retardthe rotation of the spool and the unwinding of the line such as afterthe fish has made its run and has been caught in the hook to insure of acatch. Thus, instead of the friction or braking pressure being normallyapplied, the spool is normally free spinning and the braking friction isnot applied by tension on the line but under accurate and minute controlof the fisherman by pressure upon the bar 52 in convenient positionwhile gripping the handl of the fishing pole adjacent the reel. Also,operation is facilitated by the disconnection of the cranksimultaneously with the application of the braking friction so that thedrive connection between the crank and the shaft and spool does notserve as a drag on the free spinning of the spool when such is desired.Obviously, upon release of the pressure on the bar 52 the spring 44 willimmediately come into play to force the plate 36 inwardly on its pivotto move the pinion 3| into locking engagement with the key 33 at thegroove 32, thereby forming an eifective and simple clutch meansinterposed in the drive connection between the crank and the spool whichis normally operative and may be readily disengaged at the same timethat the pressure is applied to friction the turning of the spool andthe unwinding of the line.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of constructionherein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within th purview ofthe appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a fishing reel having a frame including end housings, and a spoolhaving its shaft journalled in said end housings; drive means for saidspool in one of said end housings including a gear slidable on saidshaft, interengageable clutch means on said gear and said shaft forrotating said shaft with said gear in on position of the latter, a crankrotatably carried by said one end housing, a geared connection betweensaid crank and said gear, a shifting plate pivotally carried by said onehousing and engaging said gear for moving the latter on said shaft, acam surface formed on said plate, a brake drum formed with a peripheralgroove and fixedly mounted on said shaft, and a rockable lever carriedby said one housing including a finger member engageable with said camsurface for moving said pivoted plate to clutch disengaging position, abrak shoe supporting arm, and a brake shoe carried by said armfrictionally engaging in said peripheral groove when said lever isrocked to engage the finger member with said cam surface whereby rockingof said leve will disengage the drive means from said shaft andfrictionally brake the rotation of the latter.

2. In a fishing reel having a frame including end housings and a spoolhaving the shaft thereof journalled in said end housings; drive meansfor said shaft including a crank rotatabiy carried by one of saidhousings, a gear slidable axially on said shaft, and geared meansconnecting said crank to said gear, interengageable clutch means on saidgear and said shaft for rotating the latter with said gear in oneposition of said gear, a pivoted plate carried by said one housing andhaving portions thereof engaging said gea for moving the latter axiallyrelative to said shaft, spring means interposed between said plate andsaid housing and constantly urging said plate to clutch engagingposition, an inclined cam surface formed on said plate, a rockableoperating lever carried by said one housing, a handle formed on one endof said lever extending outwardly of said one housing, a finger memberformed on the other end of said lever and engageable with said camsurface when said handle is depressed for moving said plate to clutchdisengaging position, a peripherally grooved brake drum fixed on saidshaft, a brake shoe supporting arm extending from said other end of saidlever and spaced from said finger member, a brake shoe carried by saidarm and adapted to frictionally engage in the peripheral groove of saiddrum when said handl is depressed, and spring means connected to saidlever constantly urging the latter to handle raised position.

JOHN K. TANK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 522,323 Freese July 3, 18941,523,983 Lauterbach Jan. 20, 1925 2,001,521 Cattley May 14, 1935FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 27,417 Great Britain Oct. 15, 1903of 1902

